Railroad-signaling



(No Model.) T

' R. S. JENNINGS.

Railroad Signaling.

No. 240,594; PatentedA-pfil26,i88l.

niiii ii illiia ATTORNEY UN TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAILROAD-SIGNALING.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,594, datedApril 26, 1881.

Application filed March 2,1881 (No modeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH S. JENNINGS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, inlthe county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Signaling; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side view of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view, showing it applied to an elevated railway. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lever which is attached to the locomotive for operating the valves, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a pair of the valves.

The design of my invention is to signal .when a train enters a section of a railroad and when it leaves saidsection for the purpose of indicating to the train following that the section ahead is blocked or occupied by a train, or clear, as the case may be; to which end it consists, principally, in lighting and extinguishing the lamp by the passing train, whereby a signal may be set at the beginning of a section when the train has passed the end of said section. I

My invention also consists in the arrangement of the gas pipes and valves in relation to the beginning and ending of the sections, whereby the gas is turned off when a train enters the section and turned on when it leaves said section, the same being carried 011 continuously train.

It also consists in the arrangement, construction, and combination valves, operating-lever, and other mechanical means for signaling, as will-be hereinafter and automatically by each passing specified and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a lamp at the beginning of a section, and B another lamp at the beginning of another section and at the ending of the first section.

0 0 represent star-wheels, which are connected with the valves 1) a a b, which are arranged near the tracks of the railroad, so as to be operated or turned one-quarter way round of the gas-pipes,

v and to be so arranged as to be under the control of u the engineer 5 or it maybe an immovable fixture on the engine. The star-wheels O O and cooks or valves are arranged in double pairs at or near the beginning of each section, and the pairs at the beginning and ending of each section are connected with independent gaspipes F G, which are supplied from the main These gas-pipes and valves are arranged preferably as shown in Fig. 1. The lamps at each section are provided when in use with an uninterrupted gas-lighting device, preferably an electric one, which is supplied with a current by the wire 0, though it is evident that other devices for lighting the burners may be used, such as a small and imperceptible flame near the burner.

In practice this invention may be used as follows: The lamps at all the sections are lighted, showing that the track is clear, the valves on the gas-pipes F G being arranged thus: first pair at the beginning of a section, b closed, a open; second pair at the end of a section, a open, I) closed, thus allowing a free flow of gas from the main E to the lamp A through the pipe F and valves a a. When a train enters on the section it turns the valves b a one-quarter way round and opens b and closesa,thusextinguishingthelightatA. The train is now supposed to be on the section, and the light at A being out it will indicate to the following train that the section in front is occupied or blocked. When a train is leaving the section it turns the valves a b onequarter way round and leaves a closed and 12.

open, thus lighting the lamp A by allowing the gas to flow from the main through the pipe G and valves b b. The same operation as hereinbefore described is performed by each train following.

If desirable, on roads where the beginning and ending of the sections are not indicated the valves may be arranged to operate so as to light the lamps at the beginning of a section to indicate that that section is blocked, put the lamp out when the track is clear. 1

What'I claim as new is- 1. A system of railwaysignaling substantially as herein described, the same consisting in providing a motor or train with a valveoperating mechanism and in arranging gaspipes with valves in proximity and relation to the railway-track, so that the aforesaid train in passing will operate the valves so as to cause a signal to be unset or set when the train enters a section, and to set or unset the signal when the train leaves the section.

2. An automatic system of signaling for indicating when a train enters and leaves a section of a railway, embracing the following elements: a motor or train provided with a valveoperating mechanism, a series of gas-pipes having valves arranged as shown, and lamps provided with a gas-lighting device, substantially as described and shown.

3. The combination, with a valve-operating mechanism arranged upon arailway-engine, a series of gas-pipes provided with valves lopassed the endof said section, or vice versa,

substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with a railroad-engine having a valve-operating mechanism attached thereto, a series of valves arranged upon gaspipes as shown, and provided with star-wheels O O, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RALPH S. JENNINGS.

Witnesses:

W. S. WILKINsON, Geo. O. MANNING. 

